Sabarimala temple body to meet soon as protests grow over women's entry

A little over 24 hours to go before the Sabarimala shrine in Kerala is scheduled to be open to women of all age groups for the first time after the Supreme Court's historic ruling last month that permitted the entry. The verdict however received mixed reactions with several thousand people, mostly women, taking to the streets to hold protests against the verdict. Several political parties, religious bodies and groups close to the temple board joined the protests launching a 'Save Sabarimala' campaign. The protesters along with several members of the BJP held a massive protest march yesterday at the Kerala Secretariat in Tiruvananthapuram. The Travancore Devaswom Board, a temple body, is expected to hold a meeting with various stakeholders including the Pandalam royal family and Ayyappa devotees.